Brad Cooper Gallery, 1712 E. Seventh Ave., will host a closing reception for two exhibits that opened in July: "Still Life Paintings" in Gallery 1 and "Works on Paper" in Gallery 2.

The featured artists in each exhibit won Best of Show recognition in the gallery's International Biennial Juried Exhibition in 2004.

G.C. Williams won in the painting division and John Gregory won in the works on paper category. Both are bent on seeing the world at its best, conveying beauty and grace through ordinary forms, but with different approaches.

In Gallery 1, Williams' work transforms common items such as apples and tomatoes into stunning statements. Her colors are pure, and she plays light against dark to dramatic effect, in a style reminiscent of the Dutch masters.

A self-taught artist, Williams cut her teeth studying the 17th-century, still-life masters she emulates.

Glazed bowls gleam, and squash shines against dark cloths and benches that melt into the background. It's all perfectly rendered, down to the blemish on the tomato and the brown on the endive.

"Her style is almost super-realistic," gallery owner Brad Cooper said. "How she plays the scale of the fruit is fascinating. It's larger than normal."

Gallery 2 is filled with Gregory's large watercolor and pastel drawings. His defined lines and crisp colors give beauty and cohesion to scenes that might otherwise be chaotic.

Remembering the junked car parts his father amassed in their suburban back yard in Scottsdale, Ariz., Gregory takes an element of a car and blows it up to become the focus. Then he skews the perspective.

"It's almost like a little kid looking up at it," Cooper said. "Everything seems larger than life."

Gregory's pastels bring out the shine of the metal and the hardness of city buildings in ways not usually associated with pastels.

"It's unusual for pastels to be on this scale. They're usually much smaller," Cooper said.

Lowering The Art

Swaying from the walls, suspended from the ceiling and draped over a doorway, an assortment of fabric art has filled one room this summer at HandMade in Florida, a craft shop and gallery in Ybor City.

Now it's coming down.

Created by Clearwater artist Marlene Glickman, the pieces range from tiny fabric figurines to large wall hangings.

Silk, rayon and other natural fibers are her canvas. Beads, dyes, paints and threads are among the materials that transform the fabric into art.

In the piece titled "Daily Series," Glickman crafted a 5-inch square for each day of the year. She used a different color for each month, concentrating on hot colors for the summer and cool shades for the winter.

Strung atop each other into rows and suspended from a pole, the color-coordinated strands of squares present a color-wheel effect, with yellows blending into greens. When a nearby fan blows, the panels flutter like flags in a breeze.

The public is invited to the free closing reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the gallery, 1903 N. 19th St. Glickman is expected to attend. She also will teach classes at the gallery Sept. 10, 17 and 24.

Call (813) 247-7902 for information.

Last Summer Workshop

Offered At Renaissance

The Renaissance Center for the Arts, a renovated church at 2201 N. Florida Ave., will offer the last of its summer workshops Saturday.

From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., nationally known South Tampa artist Victoria Fricot will share her skills in using Polaroid transfers in watercolor or acrylic paintings.

The cost is $75. Call Taylor Ikin at (813) 839-2480 to register and get a supply list.

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